It Takes One to Know One

On my new For Dummies book, and on being a dummy

My latest book, JavaScript All-in-One For Dummies, is the 9th For Dummies book that I’ve written or co-authored in my 25 years as a tech writer. It’s also the 4th book I’ve written about JavaScript (not counting many translations of my books’ content that have happened over the years).

This one is special to me, because I designed it to be the book that I could have used myself when I was first getting started as a programmer. The introduction to the book is a story adapted from my own experience of a first day on a new job as a JavaScript programmer, and that sets the tone for the rest of the book.

What I love about writing For Dummies books is that everyone recognizes that being a dummy isn’t a permanent or all-encompassing situation (unless you’re Lamont).

Buying a For Dummies book is a statement of Socratic Wisdom (“I know that I know nothing.”). Writing for dummies is the ideal situation for a teacher — the reader comes to the book from day one with the right attitude for learning. Your job as a For Dummies author is to not lose the reader by making assumptions about their knowledge while also not sounding patronizing. The key is to remember what it it was like when you were a dummy yourself.

In writing this book, I found that my knowledge of some topics was inadequate or outdated, and my progress on the book would grind to a halt for days or longer as I learned everything I needed to know. By constantly switching between being a dummy and writing for dummies, I think I was able to convey that learning how to learn is the most important skill for a programmer to have.

There will always be something new that makes you feel like a dummy. For Dummies books remind us that admitting we’re a dummy is the first step toward being less of a dummy.